Meet McCormick's 2020 Community Service Award Winners

McCormick & Company is proud to recognize our employees for a job well done; whether it's at work or in the community. And for the last 18 years, McCormick has rewarded employees who go above and beyond in their volunteer work through the Community Service Award Program. To date, the Community Service Award Program has given over $815,000 to worthy charities across 14 McCormick countries.

Although there were many worthy applicants, the McCormick Charitable Donations Committee chose four finalists and one grand prize winner.  The Charitable Donations Committee reviews all applications and selected the finalists based on the nature of the nominee's volunteer activity, magnitude of the impact on the organization and the community, time and effort expended by the nominees in the volunteer activity, length of service, and demonstration of commitment. Each finalist received a $5,000 donation to their charity, and the grand prize winner received $25,000 for their charity. 

Meet the Grand Prize Winner: 

The grand prize winner of the 2020 Community Service Award was Claire Laurencin, Quality Control Raw Manager at McCormick France, for her work with Le Pont Cedek. Le Pont Cedek works to provide food, housing, and education to over 700 children in Cotonou, Benin. Since 2008, Claire has worked with the organization to renovate buildings, provide school supplies, and further vocational opportunities for children living in the village where she was born.

Meet the Four Finalists: 

1. Rob Johnson, Licensing Senior Manager in the Americas, for his work with Kolbe, a high school for students recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Since 2018, Rob has served the organization by speaking at community outreach events, managing social media campaigns, and outfitting the science lab with donations. He volunteers 10 to 15 hours per month and helps organize a virtual fundraiser for “Steps to Recovery.” After the loss of his younger brother, Rob committed himself to the organization to prevent another family from going through the agonizing loss of a sibling.
   
   2. Charles Gabriel, Manager at McCormick France, for his work with Ker Gui France, whose mission is to carry out humanitarian, educational, and health action for children in Sokone, Senegal. The organization supports nearly 200 underprivileged children with access to an efficient school and health care. Charles has been a volunteer since 2010 and is on the Board of Directors. He acts as a fund raiser and was the project manager for the construction of the new school, which increased the capacity to more than 300 students. 
   
   3. Julien Clay, Plant Director at McCormick France, for his work with French Round Table, an international club for service and friendship supporting the local and national needy. Julien has been a volunteer since 2014 and has served as club president and organized fundraising events like “Les Lames de Jois” (prosthetic limb replacement for youth) and “Les Voiles de l’Espoir” (which will sail 100 children ages 8-14 through the Mediterranean Seas while they are recovering from cancer).
   
   4. Sandrine Dubief, Vice President of Human Relations for the Asia Pacific Zone, for her work with the Magdalena Project, Theatre de la Ramise, a dynamic cross-cultural network that provides a platform for women’s performance work and training. Sandrine volunteers 15 hours a month, plus all day and night for in-person events. The events advocate for human rights and eliminate stereotypes. Sandrine has been pivotal with her work contributing to diversity and inclusion with the group. 

Congratulations to all of the winners! Thank you for your service. 

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